Seoul (South Korea) - Samsung has announced that it plans to bring the next generation of Blu-ray players to market this summer, bringing its first slate of devices that will support the new Blu-ray Disc Profile.

The new format, BD Live, allows movie studios to add enhanced features like picture-in-picture video supplements and Internet-enabled content.

Samsung Electronics audio/video chief Dongsoo Jun predicts that by 2012, 51 million players will be sold annually. That would be an 80% increase from now.